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There is a new weed in my yard. Actually, I noticed it the year before last, but it is really getting under my skin this year. And I do not like it. Do not like it one bit. I’m talking about Hairy Bittercress. Where in the world did this come from? It wasn’t here 4 years ago and now, thanks to its extensive seed explosion propagating behavior – it is really on the move.

Hairy Bittercress (Cardamine hirsuta) is in the Brassicaceae family and related to the mustards/cabbages. Actually, if it wasn’t such a pest, this diminutive plant might look pretty cute in a spring fairy garden. The seeds germinate in the fall and are winter annuals (green during winter). That growth habit gives them a jump start on growing in the spring and blasting out their tiny seeds before you can get a grip on the situation.

If I were a betting woman, I would guess that the seeds originally made their way into my yard via nursery/garden center potting mix debris. The first plants populated a path that leads to my compost bin. I’ve read that they are edible but I’m not going to give them the pleasure of gracing my table. I’m more than happy to spend a few minutes pulling those little rosettes out before they get a chance to bloom. As with the noxious garlic mustard, a cousin to the bittercress, do not dispose of any plants you pull in your compost bin. The temps will not be hot enough to kill the seeds. And mowing them down won’t help. They are quite short and you will only be mowing the bloom stalks which will spite you and allow the seeds to mature and spread the love.

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Over my lifetime, I’ve killed hundreds, no, thousands of plants. Houseplants in particular. The plants I grow outside are lucky. Most are better off letting Mother Nature nurture them through the growing season. My dear African violets aren’t so lucky. Their lives depend on me, of all people, to keep them alive. I’m grateful when they reward me with their beauty.

Looking back, I remember growing African violets in my college apartment and also being the subject of a written assignment. Well, it has been a long spell between those 1970s college days at The Ohio State University’s Agricultural Technical Institute but my African violet interest has come back to life. Don’t ask me how many I have. I pick up a couple more every month at our African violet club meeting. And of course, my motherly instincts kick in when I have to rip out suckers. I CAN’T throw them away; I HAVE to pot them – which only exacerbates the overpopulation problem!

Here are a few of the cuties on the shelves (6 four-foot light fixtures) at the moment.

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Once again, the new year brings educational opportunities galore. Check out some of the events that are happening in the next few months. The Adams County Amish Bird Symposium and the Ohio Botanical Symposium are two events I never miss!

The Tri-State Green Industry Conference is a collaborative effort between Ohio State University Extension, Purdue Extension, University of Kentucky Extension, Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, and the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. It features a variety of high quality education and training for professionals and also features a vendor trade show.Questions? Call Julie Crook (513) 946-8998 Details and Registration now online at http://go.osu.edu/vWs

Join us for a hands-on workshop learning to make your own seed balls. We will use seeds of local genome common milkweed, Asclepias syriaca, collected in the Cincinnati area by Wild Ones members. This is an opportunity to support Wild Ones’ efforts to help save the endangered Monarch butterfly by dispersing their required host plant, milkweed. Seed balls can be used to grow your own milkweed in your backyard or to throw into nearby roadsides and fields. All materials and handouts provided. Children are welcome if accompanied by an adult. RSVP is REQUIRED as space is limited. Email cincywildones@fuse.net or call 513-205-0742 with your reservation.

Directions: Civic Garden Center is between Oak and Taft on the grounds of the Hauck Botanic Garden. Parking is free and available off Oak St by the CGC and in the medical center lot on the north side of Oak. Parking is also available behind the building along the paved paths.

Speakers will include Hope Taft, former First Lady of Ohio, Theresa Culley presenting the Assessment Team’s determination of additions to the Ohio invasive plant list, Steven Hovick of Ohio State University speaking on Purple Loosestrife and its biological control. In addition we will announce winners of the 2014 Award of Distinction and the student research grant award. Participants will also vote for four positions on the Board of Directors, and engage with other members in making priorities and plans. This meeting also marks the 10th Anniversary of OIPC. Official OIPC t-shirts will be available for $15 featuring the compelling design by Kristina Gauer. Registration is $15 and includes lunch. Registration will soon be open at http://www.oipc.info. For $25 you can register and receive an OIPC t-shirt.

Moss and Lichen Program – Friday, February 13, 2015, 7:30pm

Avon Woods Nature Center, 4235 Paddock Rd., Cincinnati, OH, 45229

“The Hidden World of Mosses and Lichens” with Dr. Robert A. Klips, Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, Ohio State University at Marion. Sponsored the Cincinnati Wild Flower Preservation Society

The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden’s Sustainable Urban Landscape Symposium will be a jam-packed program with expert speakers designed to take on the challenge and answer the questions of how we can design, build, and maintain the most sustainable landscapes possible. Speakers include Jim Hansel of the University of Cincinnati, Dr. Bruce Frederick of the Bartlett Tree Care Company, Dr. Dan Potter of the University of Kentucky, Craig Frye of SD1, and Steve Foltz and Deb Zureick from the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, plus many more. More information here: https://tickets.cincinnatizoo.org/mainstore.asp?vid=2#cat1158

Join the Adams County Travel & Visitors Bureau and the Adams County Amish Community for the 12th annual symposium. This daylong celebration of birds features speakers, vendors, live raptors from Raptor Incorporated and other activities. Registration required. View/print a registration form here.

Miami Valley Gardening Conference – Saturday, March 7, 2015

Sinclair College, 444 W. Third St., Dayton, OH

The 20th Miami Valley Gardening Conference presents a look at the past, present and future of gardening in our area. Join keynote speakers Thomas Rainer (The American Garden in a Post-Wild World) and Kelly Norris (Dig This: Stylish Gardening for Savvy Gardeners) and ten other local gardening experts as they explore the way we garden and how it has and will continue to change. Fee $50 includes lunch, snacks, covered parking, and all materials. For more information http://www.metroparks.org/GetOutside/Gardening_Landscaping.aspx

Pollinator Short Course: Identification and Conservation of Pollinators in Ohio – Thursday, March 12, 2015

Hard core science is effortlessly integrated with a light-hearted look at how plants behave, revealing a world where plants are as busy, responsive and complex as we are. From the stunning heights of the Great Basin Desert to the lush coastal rainforests of west coast Canada, scientist J.C. Cahill takes us on a journey into the “secret world of plants,” revealing an astonishing landscape where plants eavesdrop on each other, talk to their allies, call in insect mercenaries and nurture their young. It is a world of pulsing activity, where plants communicate, co-operate and, sometimes, wage all-out war. So come along for the ride and discover that plants are a lot less passive and a lot more intelligent than you think!

The 13th Ohio Botanical Symposium is hosted by the Ohio Division of Natural Areas and Preserves, in cooperation with the Ohio Division of Parks and Recreation, The Cleveland Museum of Natural History, The Nature Conservancy and The Ohio State University. The symposium brings together people of various backgrounds who share an interest in Ohio’s flora, wildlife and natural history. Quality speakers will present on botanical topics related to Ohio and adjacent states. Vendors will be present selling native plants, books and other items. The Cincinnati Wild Flower Preservation Society will host a silent auction of photographs taken by some of Ohio’s top nature photographers. Proceeds will go to the Ohio Division of Natural Areas and Preserves to support land acquisitions. For more information contact: https://www.cmnh.org/discover/nature/Ohio-Botanical-Symposium

Southwest Ohio garden clubs who are affiliated with Ohio Association of Garden Clubs (OAGC) joined together to produce the 2nd annual Hueston Woods Winter Wonderland at the Hueston Woods State Park Lodge near Oxford, Ohio. Nearly 70 garden club members and friends from 12 OAGC garden clubs participated this year. They hailed from Butler, Clermont, Darke, Greene, Hamilton, Montgomery and Warren Counties. The display will be up through January 19, 2015.

The invitation is open to other clubs who would like to participate. To get your feet wet for the 2015 set-up, please consider participating in the take-down on January 20, 2015. Contact Vicki Ferguson at vferguson@oagc.org for more information and for details on an overnight lodge discount rate for workers.